kippermate
23rd Feb 2005, 20:51
From Daily Record 17 Feb 05.
(not that I would believe anything I read in the paper)
'MORE than 1000 jobs have been saved after defence bosses gave axe-threatened RAF Kinloss a reprieve.'
I would have posted the link but it didn't work! (I'm a Luddite!)
I believe it goes on to say that it would be too expensive to move to Waddington and that the local community is behind the stn etc etc Scottish regiments etc
:confused:
1000 RAF JOBS ARE SAVED FROM AXE Feb 17 2005
MORE than 1000 jobs have been saved after defence bosses gave axe-threatened RAF Kinloss a reprieve.
The Moray base will avoid the chop in the looming UK-wide airfield review.
Kinloss, home to the Nimrod reconnaissance fleet and 2500 service personnel, looked set to close by 2012 after the Ministry of Defence ordered a report into the cost of transferring crews to England.
But now the MoD say the move would cost too much.
Last night, Kinloss station commander Chris Birks said that no decision has been taken. But local politicians have already been told the good news.
Moray Council convener Eddie Coutts said: 'This vindicates our campaign and how strong the case we put forward was.
'I'm sorry for the other bases that will face the axe as a result but it was vital for our economy that the Nimrods stayed.
'The RAF have become part of our community and we wanted them to remain that way.
'This decision to keep Kinloss does not mean that Lossiemouth is under threat either - the new Eurofighter is destined to be based there in the future.' The closure would have spelt economic ruin for the area, which benefits by £50million a year from the base's spending power.
It is understood that the local campaign had a strong influence.
The RAF were considering two stations - Kinloss and Waddington in Lincolnshire - as home to the new Nimrod MRA4, due to enter service in 2009.
The 21 older-generation Nimrods at Kinloss will be replaced by just 12 MRA4s.
They could have been stationed at Waddington, where three Nimrod R1s and six Sentry early-warning aircraft are based.
But the cost of moving the personnel and support staff, coupled with upgrading Waddington, proved too much.
In July last year, Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said the RAF had too many airfields for their needs in the 21st century.
In September, he announced that 35 maintenance jobs would go at Kinloss and even more faced the axe at nearby Lossiemouth.
Politicians said the RAF job cuts coupled with threats to air bases and to the Scottish infantry regiments proved Scotland was getting a raw deal.
(not that I would believe anything I read in the paper)
'MORE than 1000 jobs have been saved after defence bosses gave axe-threatened RAF Kinloss a reprieve.'
I would have posted the link but it didn't work! (I'm a Luddite!)
I believe it goes on to say that it would be too expensive to move to Waddington and that the local community is behind the stn etc etc Scottish regiments etc
:confused:
1000 RAF JOBS ARE SAVED FROM AXE Feb 17 2005
MORE than 1000 jobs have been saved after defence bosses gave axe-threatened RAF Kinloss a reprieve.
The Moray base will avoid the chop in the looming UK-wide airfield review.
Kinloss, home to the Nimrod reconnaissance fleet and 2500 service personnel, looked set to close by 2012 after the Ministry of Defence ordered a report into the cost of transferring crews to England.
But now the MoD say the move would cost too much.
Last night, Kinloss station commander Chris Birks said that no decision has been taken. But local politicians have already been told the good news.
Moray Council convener Eddie Coutts said: 'This vindicates our campaign and how strong the case we put forward was.
'I'm sorry for the other bases that will face the axe as a result but it was vital for our economy that the Nimrods stayed.
'The RAF have become part of our community and we wanted them to remain that way.
'This decision to keep Kinloss does not mean that Lossiemouth is under threat either - the new Eurofighter is destined to be based there in the future.' The closure would have spelt economic ruin for the area, which benefits by £50million a year from the base's spending power.
It is understood that the local campaign had a strong influence.
The RAF were considering two stations - Kinloss and Waddington in Lincolnshire - as home to the new Nimrod MRA4, due to enter service in 2009.
The 21 older-generation Nimrods at Kinloss will be replaced by just 12 MRA4s.
They could have been stationed at Waddington, where three Nimrod R1s and six Sentry early-warning aircraft are based.
But the cost of moving the personnel and support staff, coupled with upgrading Waddington, proved too much.
In July last year, Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said the RAF had too many airfields for their needs in the 21st century.
In September, he announced that 35 maintenance jobs would go at Kinloss and even more faced the axe at nearby Lossiemouth.
Politicians said the RAF job cuts coupled with threats to air bases and to the Scottish infantry regiments proved Scotland was getting a raw deal.